Newsom navigates his relationship with Trump as wildfires ravage his state

Just two days before Air Force One touches down in California, Gov. Gavin Newsom doesn't know if he's welcome to join President Donald Trump's wildfire tour.

The Democratic governor is willing and able to meet with the Republican president in Southern California on Friday, according to Newsom's office. But the White House has not issued any guidance to the Democratic governor about his plans. In fact, Newsom's team says it's only aware of the president's visit ''from sources.''

The uncertainty just hours before Trump's arrival underscores the complicated relationship between two of the nation's most formidable political rivals. Newsom, in particular, is navigating a crisis that could undercut his state's recovery and his presidential ambitions.

Newsom described Trump as a uniquely dangerous threat to American democracy for much of last year's presidential campaign. And Trump regularly calls the governor ''scum'' — or, to be exact, ''Newscum."

''I don't know,'' Trump said Wednesday when asked by Fox News if he would meet the governor. ''I haven't even thought about it.''

In recent weeks, Trump and his allies — notably billionaire Elon Musk on his X platform — have attacked Newsom's leadership and at times promoted misinformation about California's response. And House Speaker Mike Johnson has suggested there should be conditions on federal wildfire aid to force changes in California.

''This is a very difficult balance for him,'' said Jack Pitney, a political scientist at Claremont McKenna College in California. ''As a governor of California, he needs to work with the president to get federal aid for the state. As a national political figure, he feels pressure to attack Trump. It's hard to do both of those at the same time, particularly with a very thin-skinned president.''

The fires, which had been largely under control, flared again on Wednesday as a huge and fast-moving wildfire erupted in the mountains north of Los Angeles. More than 14,000 structures have been destroyed across Los Angeles County already and at least 28 people have died. The recovery effort could be among the most expensive in U.S. history and will require the Trump and Newsom administrations to work together.

Hours before visiting California, Trump is scheduled to tour parts of western North Carolina still recovering from the devastation of Hurricane Helene, another major natural disaster in which the president has been critical of Democratic leaders.

Newsom's office had yet to hear anything from the White House as of Wednesday afternoon. The governor is scheduled to be in Southern California that day and hopes to meet with the president, according to Newsom spokesman Bob Salladay.

''So far, we've not heard from the White House about Friday's trip,'' Salladay said. ''We'll be happy to meet with the president if it works.''

There is precedent for them appearing together. After another horrific fire in 2017, Trump appeared alongside Newsom, who was the governor-elect.

Newsom, 57, is term-limited as governor and already considered a top-tier 2028 presidential prospect. He also needs Trump and his Republican allies on Capitol Hill to deliver massive amounts of disaster relief to rebuild his state.

Allies currently believe that Newsom will ultimately launch a Democratic presidential campaign after he leaves office at the end of 2026. But they acknowledge that his long-term political prospects will be shaped by how he manages the current crisis.

To that end, the notoriously media-friendly Newsom has largely avoided any discussion of politics in recent weeks. He spent 12 of the last 16 days at the scene of the fires in Southern California, according to his office. He has also issued 12 executive orders so far designed to speed up the recovery, including moves to bypass some regulations.

Newsom issued a letter to Republican leaders in Congress last week requesting expedited disaster relief ''without conditions or prolonged negotiation.'' Republican leadership, backed by Trump, has indicated that they will likely put conditions on the funding, although the details have yet to be announced.

Already, some would-be political allies beyond California are worried that Newsom's brand is being tainted by Republican criticism.

''But it really will depend, I think, a lot on how the narrative goes around the fires, and whether or not people are able to be hoodwinked into believing that this guy cannot take care of us as we deal with any disaster, natural or otherwise,'' Crockett said of Trump's criticism of Newsom. ''That is a very tricky kind of space that he's having to navigate.''

From ‘Trump proofing' to ‘common ground'

Indeed, since the fires erupted in Los Angeles earlier this month, Newsom has almost entirely abandoned the anti-Trump rhetoric he promoted throughout the last presidential campaign.

The Democratic governor in recent days shifted the focus of a special legislative session designed to ''Trump proof'' California, as some described it, to prioritizing the state's response to fires. Newsom also joined Johnson, the House speaker, and some GOP governors around the country in directing U.S. flags be raised to full height on Trump's Inauguration Day.

Newsom issued a respectful statement on the day Trump took office, calling for ''common ground."

There is one major exception.

Newsom and his team have pushed back in obvious cases of misinformation from Trump and his allies about the fire response, which have flooded social media and consumed the time and energy of the governor's staff. Newsom's office says that more than half of all recent media requests are directly related to baseless conspiracies.

The governor also established a website to combat misinformation from Trump and his allies.

And while he has tried to avoid direct confrontation with Trump, Newsom did not ignore Trump's false statement in his inaugural address that California "fires still tragically burn from weeks ago without even a token of defense.''

''It's nonsense. But it's also insulting,'' Newsom wrote in a message to supporters. ''The bravery and heroism of firefighters from across California, the United States, and even across North America — saved a tragic wildfire from becoming something absolutely unimaginable for many more families.''

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